


Prologue

by ShonnaRose



Category: Bleach
Genre: Anxiety, Bullying, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Meetings, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Prologue, Sickfic, Social Anxiety, before canon, short one shots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:41:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23764792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShonnaRose/pseuds/ShonnaRose
Summary: A series of one-shots taking place before the start of the Heartfelt Bonds series. These serve as a prologue, establishing plot details that would bog down the main story. These are not required to understand the main plot of the series, but they will be referenced.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 6





	1. Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You've got it too, huh?"
> 
> "Got what? The flu?"
> 
> "Coldpocalypse."
> 
> "E-excuse me?"
> 
> The story of how two young children met.

Rain drummed against the windows, a chilly air seeping into the room. He pulled the blanket over his head and coughed. A fire burned in his throat, and swallowing only heightened the blaze. In an attempt to find a more comfortable spot on the bed, he rolled over. Immediately, he rolled right back, not finding relief from the aches rippling through his body.

A soft knock rapped on the door, and it opened a crack. “Uryu?” his mother asked. His heart fluttered and eyes popped open. “Didn’t you hear me call you for breakfast? Are you not feeling well?”

Uryu shot up, sending the room to whirl. He groaned and held his head. “M-Mother,” he stammered. “What are you doing out of bed?”

Kanae smiled softly. “A mother cannot stay in bed when her child is sick,” she said, stepping over to him. She sat down on the edge of the bed, her cool hand touching his forehead.”It is my duty to care for you, Uryu, and you need it. You are burning up.”

“But what if you come down with it too?” Uryu argued. He recoiled from her touch. “I...” His arm shot up to cover his mouth just in time to catch the cough. “...don’t want you to get sick too.”

“Now, Uryu,” Kanae said, resting her hands in her lap. “It is not your responsibility to worry about the parent. You’re the child. Let me do the worrying while you lie back and relax. Close your eyes and rest, and I’ll go gather everything you need.”

Gently, she laid him down and tucked the blanket around him. She leaned closer, and he moved his head away to keep her lips away. The effort sent his head to spin, and she pecked him on the temple. After another soft smile, she left.

Once Kanae had made up her mind, there was no changing it. One would not expect such a quiet, sickly woman to have a stubborn streak, but hers put Uryu’s and his father’s to shame. Especially when it came to her duties as a wife and mother. It was clear that she would care for him even if it put her own health in jeopardy.

Uryu had no choice. He should have fled to his grandfather’s apartment last night when he felt a scratchiness in his throat and an ache in his head. Normally, he did just that at the first sign of illness. All to keep his mother from getting sick.

When Kanae returned, she carried a tray laden with a variety of objects: a thermometer, a bowl with a cloth, a glass of water, and rice porridge. The sight and smell of food caused Uryu’s nose to wrinkle.

The glass of water came first. He took small sips, the cool water going down like glass shards. At least the thermometer wasn’t painful. It slipped neatly under his tongue.

After it beeped, Kanae read out, “38 degrees. What hurts, sweetheart?” Her thumb rubbed against his forehead.

“Everything,” Uryu groaned. “Head, throat, arms, hair...my whole body.”

“What about your stomach? Does it hurt?”

“I don’t know,” Uryu answered, shrugging. “Doesn’t feel like it hurts, but I don’t feel like eating.”

“Sounds like the flu that’s been going around.”

Of course it was the flu. Uryu sighed and stared at the ceiling. His mother was bound for the hospital by the end of the week. All because he didn’t take enough care to avoid getting sick. His chest tightened, tears burning his eyes. He closed them and one slid down the side of his head. It felt ice cold.

“Shhh, dear,” Kanae sibilated, wiping the tear away with the cloth. He shivered. “You’ll feel better after some rest. Now, you need to eat. You barely ate anything last night.”

Propped up on the pillows, Uryu reluctantly accepted every spoonful of porridge offered to him. When she felt like he had eaten enough, she let him lay back down. The blanket was tucked around him again, and he fell right to sleep.

In no time, he was awakened by violent coughs. Kanae was right there, rubbing his back. When the cough finally settled, a churning in his stomach made itself known.

“M-Mother,” he croaked.

A hard swallow did nothing to impede the progress of sour rice shooting up his throat. The wastebasket made it in the nick of time. As Uryu heaved, Kanae resumed rubbing his back.

Eventually, the heaving ceased, and the foul smelling basket was taken away. He immediately dropped back off to sleep the moment his face was clean and his head hit the pillow.

Off and on, Uryu slept and coughed. The reminder of breakfast made a reappearance, leaving him drained. His body couldn’t decide if it was hot or cold, constantly tossing aside the covers only to desperately reach for them a minute later. How long this went for, he had no way of knowing.

“I’m worried,” Kanae said softly, and Uryu slowly opened his eyes. Through blurry vision, he saw his mother holding the phone to her ear. “He can only keep down weak tea and water. His temperature has gone up to 40 degrees and hasn’t come down at all. Do you think you could squeeze him in today?”

Pausing, she turned towards Uryu. He closed his eyes and rolled over, trying to find a cooler spot on his pillow. There wasn’t enough strength in his arms to toss the blanket away.

“Ah, I see,” Kanae continued. “I do hate to pull you away from home like this, but it would put my mind at ease if you could have a quick look at him. If Ryuken wasn’t away on business, I wouldn’t worry so much.” Another pause, and Uryu coughed. “I greatly appreciate it. I’ll see you in an hour.”

The phone snapped back on the hook, and a gentle hand rubbed Uryu’s back.

“That was Dr. Kimura,” Kanae said softly. He’s agreed to make a house call to see you. Sleep until he arrives.” She lightly kissed his temple before leaving the room.

Before Uryu knew it, he was being roused by a soft, cheerful voice. “Hey, Little Ishida,” Dr. Kimura chirped. “What’s this I hear about you not keeping any food in your stomach? Don’t you know that’s where it’s supposed to be?”

Normally, Uryu would roll his eyes and groan at his doctor’s strange sense of humor. All he could manage to do was groan. Slowly, he opened his eyes to realize a hand was slipping his glasses on his face. With his sight restored, he took in Dr. Kimura’s smiling face.

Such an odd-looking man, considering he was a pedia-pedia. Uryu wrinkled his forehead. Considering that he was a doctor at his father’s hospital. Most physicians typically kept their hair short and tidy, but Dr. Kimura wore his in a long, black curtain that looked like it could use a good brushing.

Blinding colored clothes also caused him to stick out. Thankfully, his white coat concealed them in the office, but he appeared to forgo it. Uryu squinted against his blinding, lime green sweater.

“Not my fault,” Uryu coughed. “Everything just comes right up.”

Dr. Kimura smiled softly. “We’ll get to the bottom of it,” he assured, squeezing Uryu’s shoulder. “If I don’t, your father will toss my butt out to the curb.”

‘Surprised he hasn’t already,’ Uryu thought as he coughed again.

“We’ll start out by having a listen to your lungs, alright?” Dr. Kimura said softly, putting a stethoscope from his bag.

The examination only took a few minutes, but it felt like hours to Uryu. Each time he started to nod off, Dr. Kimura nudged him awake.

“I’ll be done soon,” he promised.

Uryu merely mumbled a response and forced his eyes to stay open. Eventually, the last of Dr. Kimura’s equipment dropped back into his bag.

“Definitely a nasty case of the flu,” he reported as Kanae stepped into the room. “I’d say that he hasn’t reached the point of going to the hospital, but he’s not far from it. Let’s try giving him some thin juice and see if he can keep that down. If not, we’ll have to take him in.”

Kanae nodded, laying a cool hand on Uryu’s forehead; he leaned against it and closed his eyes. “Yes, I understand,” she said. “Could you perhaps stay a bit longer to keep an eye on him? I have your daughter nice and comfortable in the guest bedroom.”

“Of course,” Dr. Kimura said softly. “Actually, I do want to hang around for a while...keep a close eye on his blood pressure and temperature. Shall we go talk in another room?”

“Yes, I shall meet you downstairs in the kitchen,” Kanae answered, and Dr. Kimura excused himself. “I am going to go talk with the doctor, sweetheart. Is there anything you’d like me to get for you?”

“No,” Uryu whispered, turning onto his side. “Just want to sleep.”

“Alright, dear,” Kanae said softly. “I’ll be back to check on you soon.” She left, leaving the door open.

Uryu drifted immediately to sleep, only to be jolted awake by a fit of coughing. “M-Mother,” he tried calling between coughs, but he couldn’t get his voice loud enough. There was no possible way anyone could hear him. He curled up into a tight ball, chest on fire.

“It’s ok,” a soft voice said, and Uryu’s eyes popped open as a hand pushed aside some of his hair. Standing beside him was a small girl with long brown hair and honey brown eyes. Her flushed cheeks were surrounded by pale skin. “You’re ok. Do you need some water?”

“Ye-yes,” Uryu croaked, and the girl picked up the glass on the nightstand and held it out to him. He sat up and took a drink, groaning as more glass shards slid down his throat. “Thank you.”

The girl returned the glass to its place and put her hands behind her back. Uryu stared at her, and she stared back. Her eyes darted to the floor and she rocked back and forth.

“You’re welcome,” she squeaked. Uryu noticed that her voice was hoarse as well. “You’ve got it too, huh?”

“Got what? The flu?” Uryu asked, lying back down.

“Coldpocalypse.”

“E-excuse me?” Uryu choked and coughed.

Her laughter came to a halt by a coughing fit. “Coldpocalypse,” she reiterated. “That’s what my daddy calls cold and flu season. Gives it kind of a fun, menacing vibe, doesn’t it?” She smiled.

Uryu blinked. “I wouldn’t call menacing vibes fun,” he mumbled, and the girl laughed and coughed again. “Then you’re Dr. Kimura’s daughter.”

“Yep!” she exclaimed. “My daddy is the best doctor ever, isn’t he? I’m sure you’ll get better in no time now!”

“I certainly hope so,” Uryu said, closing his eyes. “I feel terrible.”

A hand gently touched his cheek, and he blinked at her. “You’ll feel better soon,” she said, hopping onto the edge of the bed. “Because I’ll stay here until you do! I can’t go anywhere until you’re all well again, so that means you will get better soon.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Uryu pointed out.

“Yeah, it does,” Kimura argued, straightening her shoulders. “Because I can’t sit here forever. That means you’ll get better before I’ll need to get up. And in the meantime, I’ll be right here in case you need me to reach the water, tissues, or garbage can!”

Bewildered, Uryu shook his head. “How can you talk so cheerily about it?” he asked. “Besides, aren’t you sick too? You have to be feeling just as bad as I am. Shouldn’t you be resting in bed?”

The girl shrugged. “Yeah, my throat and head hurt like crazy,” she admitted. “And I did throw up this morning, but I’m much better off than you are. Anyway, I’m just sitting here. Not like I’m running a marathon or something.”

For the daughter of a doctor, this girl’s logic was slightly askew. Then again, that doctor was Dr. Kimura who seemed to follow by his own degree of logic rather than actual medicine.

Maybe it was the fever, but Uryu found himself making sense of the strange pair.

It was comforting to have her nearby. His hand reached for hers. She took it and squeezed.

“Thank you, Kimura.”

“You’re welcome, Ishida.”


	2. Delinquents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following a bullying incident, Tamiko has been transferred to Mashiba Junior High. Fear consumes her, especially when two infamous delinquents join her for lunch.

“Class, I would like to introduce you to our new transfer student. She had a rough time of it at her old school, so please try to make her feel welcome. Go ahead and introduce yourself, Miss.”

Stiff as a board, Tamiko bowed to the mass of faces before her. Her own face burned. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her legs shook as a hiss of voices rose up.

“Do you see those bandages on her face? How do you suppose she got them?”

“Looks like she got into a fight. Seems we get all of the delinquents in this class.”

“Her? But she’s so tiny! Someone that small couldn’t possibly harm anyone.”

“Don’t be fooled by appearances. Chances are, she got kicked out of her old school, so the fight must have been her fault.”

Hot tears welled up in Tamiko’s eyes. She clenched her fists, the floor swirling. She swallowed hard, returning her breakfast to her stomach. 

“Quiet down!” the teacher growled. He stepped forward and rested a hand on Tamiko’s shoulder. “Miss Kimura, are you all right? Do you need to go see the nurse?”

“I-I’m fine,” Tamiko whispered.

“Very well. You may take you seat between Akamatsu and Kurosaki in the middle row.”

With a small nod, Tamiko shakily approached the empty seat. “Of course, he put her next to the head delinquent. That Kurosaki guy,” someone whispered as she passed.

Tamiko paused in the aisle and looked at her neighbor on the left. She squinted against his bright orange hair. He was leaning back, hands clasped behind his head. A scowl was directed towards her, and she swore his eyes could see right through her. Quickly, she lowered her head and sat down.

The entire morning, she kept her eyes either on the blackboard or her textbook. She didn’t dare look back at Kurosaki, but she felt certain he was still watching her. When class broke for lunch, she made her escape.

Woods surrounded the school, so Tamiko made her way towards them. She crouched against the wall, facing them. She shivered as cold bled through her jacket. Hopefully, the chilly air would keep everyone barricaded within the school.

Lunch looked unattractive despite her best efforts of putting lots of bright, colorful foods in it. Her chopsticks pushed around the vegetables and rice; she sighed.

Grass rustled and leaves crunched. Tamiko whirled around to see Kurosaki walking towards her. In his hands were two juice boxes, one of which already had the straw poked through and was held up to his mouth; the other was clutched at his side. Face ablaze, Tamiko looked down. Her heart banged and muscles tightened.

“Hey,” Kurosaki said, leaning up against the wall beside her.

A clump of rice was shoved into her mouth. While Tamiko chewed, she watched Kurosaki out of the corner of her eye. He sipped his juice, staring off into the distance. She noticed that his blazer wasn’t buttoned up all of the way and that he wore a purple shirt instead of the usual white dress shirt. The scowl hadn’t left his face.

Eyes turned toward her, and hers darted away. “They beat you up pretty good, huh?” he inquired, voice slurred from the straw in his mouth.

She scrunched up into a tighter ball. The rice became mush in her mouth, so she swallowed. It caught. Further swallows did nothing to dislodge the clump; she pounded against her chest and coughed.

Kurosaki crouched, setting down the open juice. He inserted the straw into the other and held it out to her. “Here, have a drink. It’ll help.”

Without giving it a second thought, Tamiko grabbed the juice and took a long drink. It flushed the rice down, and her body deflated. She blinked and looked between the juice and Kurosaki.

“I-I’m sorry,” she whispered, trembling. “I didn’t mean to t-take your juice...”

“What are you talking about?” Kurosaki asked, rubbing the back of his head. “I just offered it to you, because you were choking. Besides, it’s not like I needed an extra juice box or anything. Are you feeling better?”

“Uh...y-yeah,” Tamiko answered, looking back at the juice. “T-thank you.” She set it aside and picked back up her chopsticks.

“No problem,” Kurosaki said, picking up his juice. With a sip, he studied her. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Huh?”

Finger pointed at her face. “They beat you up pretty good, huh?” Kurosaki repeated. “Your face is covered in bandages. There’s also one on your hand, and with the way you bowed earlier, you’ve got one wrapped around your stomach as well.”

Tamiko blinked. Her hand went to her stomach, feeling the bandages under her uniform. Her face was so hot, she could see steam coming off of it.

“So what happened? Don’t tell me you were in a street brawl?”

The chopsticks pushed around a carrot. “N-no, nothing like that,” Tamiko stuttered. She bit her lip. “C-classmates. They...ganged up on me...in the park.”

“And you were the one kicked outta school?”

“Mother had me transferred. The others were only suspended, so I couldn’t stay.”

There was a grunt of understanding. As she continued picking at her food, Kurosaki stretched out one leg and rested a hand on his bent knee. He sipped until there was a harsh sucking noise and the cardboard crumpled up. It was laid aside, and that hand became a pillow for his head.

Why was he sticking around? Didn’t he have friends to eat lunch with? Tamiko was afraid to ask or even move. He was bigger than the biggest boy in her old class. The last thing she wanted to do was put herself in another predicament.

“What a bunch of cowards,” Kurosaki remarked, breaking the silence. She glanced at him, but he was staring off into the distance again. “To gang up and beat an innocent girl like that, forcing her to change schools. They deserve much more than a flimsy suspension.”

“H-how do you know that I’m innocent?” Tamiko inquired, voice barely above a whisper. “For all you know, I could have started the fight. Or at least done something to warrant it.”

Kurosaki faced her, crossing his legs. He pointed yet again. “No,” he said. “There’s no justification whatsoever for a bunch of students to gang up on one girl like that. No, you didn’t start the fight. I can tell you’re not that stupid and reckless. Plus, here I am, intruding on your lunch, and you haven’t asked me to leave yet. Ergo, you’re afraid of me. Afraid that I’ll beat ya up like those cowards did.”

The finger retreated as he formed a fist. He thrusted it, coming within an inch of her face. Tamiko recoiled back. Her bento bounced up and landed face down among the dirt and leaves between them. She covered her face with one arm while the other kept her from falling into the dirt.

First, a blank look appeared on Kurosaki’s face. As he looked down at the fallen lunch, his eyes widened. “Aw, crap!” he yelled, hands going to his head. “I’m sorry! I was only kidding. I didn’t mean to make you drop your lunch. Really...I’m sorry.”

Tamiko slowly lowered her arm and blinked. He scrambled to clean up the food, insistently mumbling apologies. This guy was a delinquent? Aside from his sloppy way of dressing and gruff attitude, there was nothing scary about him at all.

Just as Tamiko opened her mouth to reassure him, a twig snapped. Her heart resumed its erratic beating as a giant shadow loomed in the trees. He stepped out, carrying a couple of convenience store bags in one hand. Forget Kurosaki. This guy had muscles bigger than she was. How was someone so massive in junior high? Sweat trickled down the side of her head.

“Oh, hey, Chad,” Kurosaki said, glancing up at him. “Ah! Perfect timing! You got lunch, right?”

The giant known as Chad held up the plastic bags. “Yeah...got it here,” he said. “Is this where we are eating?” 

“Sure is! Have a seat while I go get us some fresh drinks. Be back in a flash!”

“W-wait...” Tamiko squeaked, reaching towards Kurosaki. He was already up and running, though.

Chad plunked himself down about a foot away from her. He pulled out two full containers of ramen from the nearby convenience store. They were closed, but Tamiko caught a whiff of warm broth. Her stomach growled.

Her lunch’s remains sat beside her. Dirt caked on the vegetables as if they were just pulled out of the ground, and a pair of yellow leaves as a garnish. What a waste. Tamiko had enough money from the cafeteria, but now she had a giant to get past. She glanced at him.

Soft brown eyes stared back. He hadn’t opened either of the bowls yet, apparently waiting for Kurosaki to return. Tamiko watched him, pulling her knees close to her chest. She winced.

“Does it hurt?” Chad asked, deep voice soft. She glanced down. “If you’re in a lot of pain, I could walk with you to the nurse.”

“Uh...n-no,” Tamiko whispered. “I mean...I’m fine...t-thank you.”

Kurosaki returned, carrying two new boxes of juice and a sandwich. He returned to his place beside Tamiko and tossed one of the boxes to Chad.

“Thanks,” he said, catching it.

“Do you like ramen, Tamiko?” Kurosaki asked, and she looked at him. The use of her first name made her blush again. “That was Chad’s pick since he was buyin’ today. You can have mine. I got myself a sandwich from the cafeteria.” It was waved around before he unwrapped it and took a bite.

No words of dissent came from Chad as he pushed one of the containers over to Tamiko. She glanced between it, him, and Kurosaki. For several minutes, she watched them eat. All the while her stomach growled. She hugged her knees tighter.

“Hey,” Kurosaki said, pointing at the unopened ramen. “Come on. I know you’re hungry, so just eat already. That ramen’s going to get cold if you don’t eat it right away.”

Tamiko nodded and slowly opened the chopsticks and container. Steam wavered out of the top, warming her cold nose. She picked up a stream of noodles, blew, and ate. The familiar, comforting taste was soothing, and she found herself beginning to relax. No words passed between them, the only noises being slurping and rustling plastic.

Dozens of twigs snapped. Tamiko froze mid slurp, glancing towards the trees. Several shadows grew bigger, and a group of boys from her old class stepped out. Grins spread across their faces.

“Well, lookie here,” the biggest boy said. “Looks like Kimura’s found herself a pair of bodyguards. How much is her family payin’ ya? 50,000 yen? 100,000?”

Kurosaki swallowed. “We aren’t being paid anything,” he said. “We’re just havin’ lunch together. Got a problem with that?”

The boy stepped forward. “You bet I’ve got a problem,” he said. He pointed to Tamiko. “Little Miss Goody Two Shoes over there got us suspended. Our perfect records were tarnished because of it. If she had just complied, we’d be sitting pretty and she wouldn’t have needed to get hurt.”

“Complied?” Kurosaki asked, a dark glare flickering in his eyes. “Just what were you wantin’ her to do?”

“Just allow us to copy off her test paper,” the boy answered, shrugging. “That’s all. She’s always doin’ stuff for everyone. Buying lunches--her family’s loaded--copying notes, taking over cleaning duty. So we figured she would be more than happy to help us out, but she made a big fuss in front of a teacher. The little snitch.”

The dark glare intensified. Kurosaki thrusted his sandwich at Tamiko. “Here. Hold this for me, will ya?”

Quickly, she gulped down the noodles and took the sandwich. “W-what are you going to do?”

Kurosaki and Chad rose. “We’re going to take care of them,” Kurosaki whispered, cracking his knuckles. “What else?” He stepped up to the gang leader. “Boy, I am so glad you guys came along.”

“Just what are you going on about?” the boy questioned.

“You just saved me the trouble of hunting you bastards down,” Kurosaki replied, rolling his shoulders. “Beating up on a defenseless girl? That is unforgivable.”

“You’re wanting to rumble? Right here beside your school where everyone can see ya?”

“Nah, we can take this party into the woods here,” Kurosaki said, smirking. “Wouldn’t want to scare her with what we’re about to do to you.”

No one protested the suggestion, and the group tramped behind the tree line. A chorus of grunts, groans, and thuds followed. Tamiko shakily stood, straining her eyes to see what was happening. The trees were far too dense, and all she could see was the faint movement of shadows.

The urge to run was strong, but she stayed. She leaned against the building, grateful for its support. When the bell rang, the fight was still ongoing. Eventually, the boys yelled obscenities, their voices growing faint.

Kurosaki and Chad reemerged. Both had a few bumps on their faces, and there was blood trickling from Kurosaki’s mouth. Otherwise, they didn’t appear seriously injured, and Tamiko let out a breath. They started cleaning up the remains of lunch as if nothing happened at all.

“Y-you didn’t have to do that,” Tamiko marveled, bending over to help. “Fight them, I mean. Now you’re late to class.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Kurosaki said, shrugging. “Wouldn’t be our first time, but you should have gone back. You’re going to get into trouble on your first day.”

“I-I couldn’t,” Tamiko whispered, looking away. “What if you got seriously injured? All because of...me.”

Kurosaki reached and patted her head. “Those punks? Hurt us?” he asked. A grin spread from ear to ear. “Not a chance in hell!”


End file.
